Our Little Cherry Blossom
by twilight-crescent-moon
Summary: Sakura's parents are dead. Sakura has nowhere to go until her mom's best friend took her in. Who was this kind lady? It was none other than Mikoto Uchiha, mother of Sasuke. After moving in, what will happen between Sakura and the Uchihas? AU SasuxSaku
1. Devastating Loss

Heya, people, I'm twilight-crescent-moon, and an extremely new writer. This is my first ever fanfiction, so I apologize early for any poor writing. I know it's a lame intro, so don't just sit there and read it...read the story and remember to help me by reviewing!

Oh yea, and another thing:

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto T.T

* * *

"_Tou-san, WATCH OUT!!!"_

"_I can't stop the car!"_

_**CRASH!!!!!!**_

_3 hours later..._

"Oh, look, Sasuke-chan, she's waking up!"

"I can see that, Mother…"

He didn't know why he decided to stay at the hospital with his mother to watch over this girl. Itachi was the one who accidentally forgot to watch for cars when he was speeding. '_Maybe it's because you never could resist Mother's eyes when she asks us to do something for her,_' his inner voice answered. He was going to have to fix that….someday...

"Mother…"

The girl's soft voice distracted him from his thoughts. Sasuke watched her with analyzing, onyx eyes.

Light, pink locks framed a gentle, porcelain face. He couldn't see much of her body, covered as it was by the hospital sheets. Her slim eyebrows were creased into a frown, apparently reliving a horrible incident. "Mother….don't leave me….." Her eyelids opened to reveal bright, emerald eyes. Strangely, he found them very attractive.

Without even knowing it, he asked, "Is that hair color natural?" _'Why the hell did you say that?!?!?!_' Inner Sasuke screamed. He didn't know himself; it just came out.

All she did was stare at him, unable to understand what the guy with the magnetic eyes just said. When it finally hit her, she couldn't help it; the laughter bubbled out of her. She didn't notice when an older woman slapped the guy's hand very hard.

After a few moments, she finally managed to choke out, "Yea, of course it is!"

Sasuke was rubbing his stinging hand absently. "Huh?" He was so busy enjoying her musical laughter, he missed her answer.

She smiled and said, "Yes, my hair color is natural."

The lady seated in the chair at her bedside finally spoke up. "I am so sorry for my son's forwardness. He isn't always like this." She frowned at the Sasuke. "By the way, I'm Mikoto Uchiha, and this is my youngest son, Sasuke."

"Nice to meet you, Uchiha-san. My name is Sakura Haruno," she replied. She didn't know why she should trust these people, but her strong, and usually right, instinct told her to.

Mikoto smiled brightly. "Sakura! What a beautiful name! Hmm, Haruno...that sounds familiar... Anyways, tell me, Sakura-chan, where do you live?" Seeing the uncertainty in Sakura's eyes, she added hurriedly, "Your car is...not in working order. I wanted to drop you and your father off at your home."

Sasuke snorted. It was a wonder the girl and her father made it out of the wrecked car alive; the car was ruined beyond repair.

"Oh, about that. May I ask where my father is and what I am doing here?"

"You are currently in the Konoha Hospital. You and your father have been in car accident which was unfortunately caused by my oldest son, Itachi. He's in the room next door."

Sakura frowned. "Itachi-san?"

"Oh, no. Gomen, I meant your father, dear. Itachi is currently...indisposed. Now, back to the question. Where do you live?"

Sakura looked uncomfortable. "W-well, we were just driving back from the realtor's because Otou-san had to sell the house out of debt after Okaa-san's expensive funeral..."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan," Mikoto said comfortingly.

The door opened then, revealing a tall, serious-looking man. Mikoto rose from her chair with a smile on her face. "Fugaku-san! How is Sakura-chan's father?" To Sakura, she said, "Sakura-chan, this is my husband, Fugaku! He was keeping your father company."

Fugaku lifted an eyebrow. "You don't recognize the last name, Mikoto? Wasn't Haruno the name of the man that married your _best friend_?"

"Oh my gosh!! So that's where I heard it!!" Mikoto squealed, which was really unexpected from someone her age. "What did you come in here for? You should be taking care of Haruno-san!"

"About that," Fugaku looked uncomfortable.

"What is it, Uchiha-san?" Sakura asked. Though she hadn't known him long, she could tell that he was not one to normally act uncomfortable.

"Sakura, your father is dead."

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A/N: Yay!! I finished the first chapter. Sorry the short length. My best friend (asianangelgirl READ HER STORY) kept nagging me to finish, so if I hadn't posted this I would've been dead. I'll try to post again as soon as possible. Anyhoo...review please!!


	2. New Friends

Hehe…sorry it took a really, really, really long while to update… maybe if you review, I'll update faster!!! winkwinknudgenudge

Special thanks for those of you who did review:

**LittleFoxDemon**

**STEVEO 352**

**asianangelgirl**

**SaphireGloom**

**Lyndelle Tromp**

**Miss Mary Sue**

And to answer your question, LittleFoxDemon, their ages are 15, except for Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee. Cuz they're 16. And stuff. You get the point.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto snifflesniff

**Note to Reader:**

normal narration

_flashback_

'_inner Sakura/Sasuke'_

'Sakura/Sasuke talking to inner Sakura/Sasuke'

* * *

Previously on _Our Little Cherry Blossom_: 

_Fugaku lifted an eyebrow. "You don't recognize the last name, Mikoto? Wasn't Haruno the last name of the man that married your __best friend__?"_

_"Oh my gosh!! So that's where I heard it!!" Mikoto squealed, which was really unexpected from someone her age. "What did you come in here for? You should be taking care of Haruno-san!"_

_"About that," Fugaku looked uncomfortable._

_"What is it, Uchiha-san?" Sakura asked. Though she hadn't known him long, she could tell that he was not one to normally act uncomfortable_

"_Sakura, your father is dead."_

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

She couldn't believe her ears. Her only parent left and only family in the world…was gone. She went into a state of shock, not even noticing the stream of tears running down her cheeks.

After a few moments, Sakura pulled her knees toward her chest and sobbed into them. This was the same mourning position she had come into when the doctor had informed her many years ago that her mother had passed away.

The Uchiha family could do nothing but watch. Mikoto, motherly as she was, didn't know how to comfort her, since neither Itachi nor Sasuke had ever cried like this over any kind of loss. They were rich; if they lost something, it was no big deal. They could always get another one.

She sensed something held in front of her. Lifting her head, she saw it was a handkerchief, offered by none other than the slightly blushing, youngest Uchiha.

Sakura thanked him, her voice still watery.

"Hn," was her reply as she watched his back retreat toward the door. His father followed him out, but Mikoto stayed, providing a shoulder for Sakura to cry on throughout the night.

Sakura woke up the next morning feeling exhausted. The events of last night came rushing back to her, making her want to cry even more. However, she seemed to have no tears left. Now, the only thing to do was be strong and go forward.

She paused, thinking about Mikoto's offer last night.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"_Where will I go now?" Sakura wailed quietly into Mikoto's shoulder._

"_You will live with us," Mikoto answered firmly._

"_I couldn't," Sakura gasped, though she wished desperately that this wasn't an empty offer. _

"_You can and you will. Besides, it's the least we could do since Itachi caused your father ... to pass away."_

_Sakura was torn between wanting to have a home again and not wanting to appear too needy. 'Stupid pride…' _

"_Tell you what," Mikoto replied to her silence. "I'll give you all night to think about it. You can tell me what your decision is tomorrow."_

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

'_You should take her up on that offer._'

Silence answered her.

'_What? You need a place to live and they just happen to have one. Plus, their son made our dad die so you don't have to be guilty. Don't look at me like that. It's true!_'

'But they have two sons, meaning I'll be the only girl other than Mikoto-san.'

_'That's perfect! In all those years raising boys, she must have wished sometime to have a daughter! You fill in that spot.'_

'...whatever.'

The door opened to let Mikoto enter with a tray of food. "I thought you might be hungry with something other than that icky hospital food."

The aroma of food made her realize just how hungry she was. Her mind completely skipped the fact that she had never even eaten the "icky hospital food", so she couldn't possibly have an opinion about it...but I digress (A/N haha first time I ever used that word in writing).

Before she could eat however, Sakura had one question to ask. "I don't mean to be rude, Mikoto-san...but did you really mean it when you said I could live with you and your family?"

When Mikoto didn't answer, Sakura hurriedly went on, "Of course, it's only until I find another place to live...but does your offer still stand?"

'_Just in case you haven't noticed...you're babbling like an idiot. Get a hold of yourself. You're making us look bad.'_

Mikoto looked shocked for a moment. Sakura started doubting her answer, but just then Mikoto grinned and laughed excitedly. "Yes! Finally, another girl in the house! You can help me bake cakes and cook and oh my gosh!!! Finally, a daughter!!!"

She rushed towards Sakura's bed, put down the tray, and hugged her tight. Sakura hugged her back, glad she could have opportunities to help Mikoto in return for living in her home.

"The doctor says to keep you hear for another night, but that will be just enough time for me to decorate your room!" Mikoto gushed and spent breakfast discussing the decorations with Sakura.

When Mikoto left to go to the store, Sakura was left alone in her bed again. She began thinking about her dad again before the door burst open.

"Get better soon, Naruto, 'cause I'm not wasting anymore of my flowers on you." A blonde girl walked in carrying a small vase of flowers. She looked around Sakura's age, and was obviously not paying attention to the person sitting on the bed. "These were meant to be sold to get money, especially for shopping, so why don't you stop doing stupid stunts and ending up in the hospital."

"Um, Ino, I think we walked into the wrong room," said a brunette with Chinese buns. Another girl with short purple hair and pale white eyes entered the room with a picnic basket.

"Ino-chan, this is room number 224," she stuttered softly. "Naruto-kun's room is right next door."

"We're really, very sorry. I'm Tenten, the girl with the flowers is Ino, and this is Hinata," Tenten pointed to the girl with the purple hair.

"It's okay," Sakura replied, smiling. "I was getting bored anyway."

"So why are you here, Forehead Girl?" Ino asked.

"Ino-chan!" Hinata gasped.

"What?" Ino complained. "She never told us her name, and her forehead is pretty noticeable."

"Still..."

"It's all right, it was my bad," Sakura smiled. '_Oh, she's gonna pay for that, even if we already knew our forehead was big.' _"My name is Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you, Ino-pig."

"What did you say?" Ino spluttered indignantly.

"Come on, Ino, that's what you deserve for calling her a name," Tenten laughed.

"Hmph, well, might as well give you these flowers since it's wasted on Naruto anyways," Ino said as she handed over the vase of flowers she was holding when she entered Sakura's hospital room.

"That means she's forgiven you, Sakura-chan," Hinata said quietly with a small smile.

Sakura accepted the bouquet and placed it onto the table beside her bed, preparing herself to speak to her newly-found friends about how she was so abruptly orphaned.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

_There was a slight drizzle on this particular morning in the cemetary. Many people dressed fully in black began to leave a circle of people similarly dressed surrounding a weeping girl in front of a tombstone. Her father stood directly behind her, reading and re-reading the enscription over and over in his mind as tears unconsciously poured down his cheeks._

_Mizuki Haruno_

_Beloved Wife and Mother_

_May she Rest in Peace_

_People continued to leave the circle until there was only the man and his seven-year-old daughter left. When the drizzle had drenched both father and daughter, the pink-haired little girl rose up from the floor._

_Turning to her father, she asked, "You know what, Otou-san?"_

_"What, Sakura-chan?" He said in a deep, gentle voice tight with emotion over the loss of his wife._

_"Okaa-san's not really gone." Little Sakura pointed to her heart with one hand and used her other hand to reach up towards her dad's. "She's always gonna be in here, watching over us."_

_With considerable effort, he smiled down at his daughter, engulfed her little hand in his big one and said, "You have a really big heart for her to live in, Sakura-chan. I bet she'll be really happy in there."_

_"You do, too, Tou-san," she replied, and they both walked towards their car, ready to head home._

xoxox 8 years later xoxox

_"Come on, Tou-san," fifteen-year-old Sakura told her father. He was standing in front of her mother's grave._

_"Five more minutes," he replied._

_"You said that and hour ago..." she said gently. "Remember what I said about Kaa-san being in our hearts?"_

_Her father sighed. "Okay, fine. Get in the car." He looked at the grave one final time then whispered two words that carried along the wind._

_"Good-bye..."_

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"And then the accident happened," Sakura said softly as the memory ended.

"Oh, my gosh."

Sakura opened her closed eyes. All three girls were gathered close. Ino had said the words that had broken the silence after Sakura's amazingly accurate flashback.

"We should be friends." Shy Hinata spoke up.

Ino gasped. "Totally! Think of all the possibilities! We'll be a quartet, now!!!"

"We can go on rides and stuff evenly now!" Tenten joined in. She sobered immediately as a thought occurred to her. "That is, if you want to, Sakura."

Sakura smiled. "I'd like that." She had come to Konoha secretly dreading the possibility that she might not make any friends, but here she was, in a hospital room, with three more friends than before.

"You know what," Ino started. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Hinata, Tenten, and Sakura just stared at her.

"What? We needed an ending."

"Oh."

"I see."

"Shoot, we just ruined it..." Sakura groaned.

"Well, the author can put a notice," Hinata suggested.

"Yea, she should, because any minute now, Narut--mmph." The rest of Ino's comment was muffled due to Tenten's firm clasp on her mouth.

"Be quiet, Ino," she said angrily. "They're not supposed to know that Naruto's gonna come--mmimph--"

"Can you just put the sign up now?" Sakura yelled at...well, me...as she struggled to cover both Ino's and Tenten's mouths before they could reveal any more of the next chapter. I should put the sign up now...

_End of Chapter Two_

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Ok, that took a _really_ long time. I would just like to say...umm...hey, at least it's longer than the first one! Please REVIEW!!!!

-twilight-crescent-moon


	3. Uzumaki and Uchiha

I told my best friend that by the time she came back from Canada, I would have chapters 2 and 3 up… so here's the third chapter of OLCB.

Super special thanks to my reviewers:

**Miss Mary Sue, .BleedingOxygen., BloodBlossom, SasuSaku4eva18, Sakura725, xxiluvemoboyzxx, LittleFoxDemon, kirei na yukki, angel2559, STEVEO 352, **and **MimoriFanForever**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is…..not mine.

* * *

**Last time on **_**Our Little Cherry Blossom**_

_"We should be friends." Shy Hinata spoke up._

_Ino gasped. "Totally! Think of all the possibilities! We'll be a quartet, now!!!"_

_"We can go on rides and stuff evenly now!" Tenten joined in. She sobered immediately as a thought occurred to her. "That is, if you want to, Sakura."_

_Sakura smiled. "I'd like that." She had come to Konoha secretly dreading the possibility that she might not make any friends, but here she was, in a hospital room, with three more friends than before._

_"You know what," Ino started. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."_

"HINATA-CHAN!!!" A very loud male voice was heard in the room next door.

Sakura wondered who would be calling the shy girl who had just become her friend.

"Oh, great," Tenten groaned. "Naruto's smelled the ramen."

"Do you think it's the ramen or Hinata?" Ino mused.

'_Who is this Naruto guy anyways?' _Sakura's inner voice asked.

'How should I know?' She answered herself. 'Where have you been?'

'_In your mind. And let me tell you, it was not pleasant, with you being unconscious and all.'_

Just then, a blonde boy with bright blue eyes and whisker-like marks on his cheeks ran into the room. After spotting Hinata, he grabbed her up in his arms in an _extremely_ tight embrace as her face turned a bright shade of red. "Hinata-chan!! I'm so glad to see you!! You haven't visited me for _hours_!!!"

"Is she okay?" Sakura asked worriedly. Hinata was either blushing furiously, or turning red from loss of air.

"Naruto Uzumaki, put her down this instant!" Ino yelled, pulling at his ear. Tenten hurried to Hinata's side, checking to see if she was physically damaged from the intense hug.

The boy with the trapped ear suddenly put his nose up into the air. Sniffing, he turned to Hinata, then looked down at the picnic basket she was holding. "You brought ramen!!!" he exclaimed, trying to peek inside the basket.

"W-would you l-like some, Naruto-kun?" the shy girl asked, holding out the basket.

"Does she have to ask?" Ino whispered to Tenten and Sakura.

"OF COURSE I'D LIKE SOME!!!" was the ecstatic and unbelievably loud answer to Hinata's question. Naruto grabbed the basket out of her hands and quickly unloaded it onto the table in Sakura's room. '_Ichiraku's Ramen to-go'_ read Sakura's inner self while Naruto was busily eating bowl after bowl of the seemingly endless basket. '_Good choice of food._'

After what seemed like forever, Naruto finally finished his last bowl. He looked up and finally noticed there were other people in the room. "Hi Ino, Tenten." He found Sakura on the bed. Tilting his head to one side, he asked, "Who the heck are you?"

"She's the person who was resting in this room before you burst in and ate right in front of her, baka," Ino yelled in Naruto's ear.

"OW!! What was that for?" Naruto shoved Ino back.

"For being a baka, baka!" Ino shoved him boldly back.

A mysterious dust cloud that appeared out of nowhere soon covered both of them as the two loud blondes wrestled each other, while shouting profanities. Hinata fainted onto the hospital bed as Sakura tried to revive her.

Tenten was filling Sakura in on the relationship between Hinata and Naruto. "Naruto is a clueless idiot and has no regard for Hinata's reaction to his actions. Well, maybe because he has no other way of expressing his affection without being a clueless idiot...hmmm...

"Anyways, Hinata obviously likes him _a lot_. She goes out of her way to do little things for him, but as you have noticed, she is extremely shy, so she doesn't mind that Naruto is acting like stupid, clueless idiot. I don't know why such a great person like Hinata is wasted on that clueless idiot, though..."

'_Well, we know this Naruto guy is a clueless idiot,'_ Sakura's inner voice commented above the chaos in Sakura's room.

"Shouldn't you try to break up that fight?" Sakura glanced worriedly at the raging blondes.

"I stopped trying a loooong time ago," replied Tenten.

Suddenly the door opened. In entered the onyx-eyed, raven-haired Uchiha boy that was with her the other night. "My mom told me to pick you up," he told her. "Hurry up and get ready." Then he exited, leaving the shocked occupants of room 224. Ino finally broke the few moments of silence.

"Who was that hottie?"

'_Uh, what was his name again? Oh yea, it's—' _Sakura finished her sentence out loud.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

* * *

Okay, yay!! How was that? Sorry it's so short...but being the lazy person I am, that's the best I could do in a week before my best friend came home. Hope you liked it! Review!!

-twilight-crescent-moon

P.S. I'd like to note that Miss Mary Sue is an excellent author. If you like Ouran High School Host Club, then you have to read her fanfiction, _After the Clock Strikes Twelve. _


	4. At the Uchiha Manor

Sorry for not updating sooner, you guys. No excuse seems to be good enough, so all I can say is sorry! -.-;;

Special thanks to 'GOTH Lolita27', .lalalahhXD, .BleedingOxygen., kirei na yukki, kattylin, LittleFoxDemon, Memories Within, asianangelgirl, reader-not-a-reviewer, pinky101, blossomsakura14, daisherz365, and xxiluvemoboyzxx for reviewing.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Last time on OLCB :

_Suddenly the door opened. In entered the onyx-eyed, raven-haired Uchiha boy that was with her the other night. "My mom told me to pick you up," he told her. "Hurry up and get ready." Then he exited, leaving the shocked occupants of room 224. Ino finally broke the few moments of silence._

"_Who was that hottie?"_

'_Uh, what was his name again? Oh yea, it's—' Sakura finished her sentence out loud._

"_Sasuke Uchiha."

* * *

_

'_What a jerk,' _Inner Sakura grumbled as Sakura packed her few belongings. _'Too bad; he was so hot…'_

Hinata, Ino, Tenten, and Naruto had already left, off to a place called Ichiraku's Ramen. _'That boy has a bottomless pit for a stomach when it comes to ramen…"_

In less than five minutes, Sakura was ready. She paused to fold the sheets of her bed. (A/N: Yes, she is a neat freak) There was an empty void inside her, the result of the loss of both her parents. "Okaa-san… Otou-san… I miss you…"

When Sakura reached the hospital door, she braced herself to face her new life as an orphan.

"What took you so long?" Sakura's head shot towards the voice. It was the boy from before, Sasuke Uchiha.

For some strange reason, she grew irritable. Was this the same guy who asked her if her hair color was real a while back? (see chapter 1) "Well, it's not everyday a girl loses her only live parent in the world," she retorted.

His only response was to turn around and walk towards his expensive, black, convertible. Sakura followed him silently, wondering again which boy was the real Sasuke, the one who asked if her hair color was natural, or this jerk that was picking her up from the hospital.

She got into the car, with her few belongings on her lap. The drive to the Uchiha manor was extremely silent and seemed to last forever. Sakura's eyelids became heavy with a sudden drowsiness and drifted off to sleep.

'_She looks pretty when she sleeps,'_ a voice suddenly said.

"What the..?" Sasuke almost braked the car in the middle of the street. Luckily traffic was pretty clear, so no accidents occurred.

Who the hell was that, Sasuke wondered.

'_I'm you, idiot.' _

"Oh, great, I'm going crazy," he muttered. He stopped his car at the stoplight. While he waited for the light to turn green, he looked over at the sleeping, pink-haired figure at his side.

'_Well, doesn't she look adorable?' _Inner Sasuke spoke again.

"Yea…" Sasuke snapped out of his reverie. "What the hell? Who _are _you?"

'_I told you already. Your inner self. Now drive, the light's green.' _

As Sasuke continued his journey home, "inner Sasuke" kept musing about how adorable Sakura was when she slept. '_I just realized something.'_

"What?" After only 5 minutes of nonstop talking, Sasuke finally gave in and began to reply to his inner's self's comments.

'_I think she's around our age!'_

"So?"

'_So, you could totally date her!'_

"I don't think so."

'_Why not?' _Inner Sasuke whined.

"The only reason she's here in the first place is because my idiotic older brother killed her father in a car accident and he just happened to be my mother's best friend's husband."

'…_Wow. Pretty harsh. No wonder we don't get girlfriends!' _Inner Sasuke sulked all the way back to the Uchiha Manor, which took about two more minutes.

Sasuke parked his car in his usual spot under the shade of an ancient oak tree. He looked over at the sleeping girl at his side. "What do I do now?" he asked himself. If he woke her up, his mother would be furious at him for being so ungentlemanly. If he didn't wake her up and left her in the car, his mother would still be furious at him for being so ungentlemanly. Either way, his mother would be livid.

'_Unless…'

* * *

_

Itachi Uchiha was wandering restlessly inside the Uchiha Manor. Because of his mistake the other night, Mikoto had grounded him for a month, severely damaging his pride.

'_It's what you deserve! You killed that poor girl's father!'_

"True enough," Itachi answered his inner self. Unlike Sasuke, he had known about this other persona a long time ago.

'_You'd better be nice to her!' _

"Fine."

'_I wonder what she looks like?'_

The front door swung open, revealing his brother carrying a pink-haired girl bridal style into the house. Amused, Itachi watched Sasuke struggle to close the door without dropping the young woman in his arms, cursing under his breath the whole time. Finally succeeding in closing and locking the front door, the younger Uchiha proceeded to dump the girl onto the sofa, abruptly waking her up. Curious to see more, Itachi chose to not reveal his presence on the stairs.

The rose-haired girl rose from her awkward position on the couch. "What the hell was that for?" she sputtered, brushing herself off.

"What I can't figure out is how I lifted you out of my car and into the house without even waking you up," Sasuke retorted. Before he left, he added, "I've never seen a person sleep so deeply, before. How idiotic."

Going up the stairs, Sasuke noticed Itachi watching him from his position on the top step. They shared 3 seconds of intense eye contact before Sasuke continued on his way to his room. Remembering the probably-angry girl in their living room, Itachi descended down the stairs.

Sakura was in a momentary shock as Sasuke's words sunk in. She wasn't completely ignorant of the fact that someone was carrying her; she had had a distinct feeling of being held in a comforting embrace. How could a boy be so contradicting? He was actually nice one moment, then cold and indifferent the next.

"I'll have to apologize for my younger brother's and my actions."

Sakura looked up to see an older, more sophisticated version of the "stupid jerk" she was thinking about. Who was this guy? "O-oh, um, it's no big deal, really... er… Hello, I'm Sakura Haruno."

"Oh, how rude of me," the tall man smiled. "I've forgotten to introduce myself. I'm Itachi Uchiha."

'_That name sounds familiar…'_ Sakura's eyes widened as realization struck her. "You're the guy who crashed into our car!" she exclaimed. The hurt and sorrow of being orphaned struck her once again, and she could feel her eyes welling up.

'_Oh shoot. Oh no. Oh my God. She's gonna cry! I have no idea how to deal with this type of girl. Argh, being a playboy sure has its disadvantages…' _"Um, er, uh…" Finding nothing else to do, Itachi decided to make use of what he could remember from one of his mother's dramas.

"Sakura! I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart for causing you so much sorry because of my carelessness that night! I'm begging for your forgiveness!" Itachi exclaimed while on his knees.

Sakura stared at the handsome, grown man before her on his knees asking for her forgiveness in a poor imitation of a dramatic scene from some drama. She couldn't help it (who could?) and burst out laughing. Soon Itachi joined her until they were both on the couch laughing until their stomachs hurt.

About fifteen minutes later, the two finally calmed down. Itachi turned over to Sakura and said, "I have to go now, Sakura-chan, but if you ever need help with anything at all, feel free to come ask your new onii-chan." (A/N: such an "awwww" moment lol)

"Okay, bye!" Sakura smiled and waved as Itachi left the mansion.

'_Wow, he's so nice! Totally opposite from his brother though... Why am I thinking about that jerk, this totally ruins my mood...'_

"Sakura-chan?" Mikoto's head popped out from behind a door that Sakura guessed led to the kitchen. "I just bought some cookies from the bakery! Want some?"

Upon hearing the word "cookies" Sakura practically ran towards the older woman who gave her a large cookie in return.

Sasuke watched Sakura delightedly eating her cookie from his viewpoint at the top the spiraling staircase.

'_Don't you wish you can make her laugh and be happy like that instead of always getting her mad?'_

"Yea…" Sasuke absently replied. "Wait, what the…! Stop talking to me!"

'_Sorry, no can do. You're stuck with me forever and ever and ever and ever! insert cheesy smile'_

"Oh no…."

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And that's a wrap! Longest chapter yet! I'm really sincerely sorry from the bottom of my heart for making you guys wait so long for me to update!! At least it's longer than the last one, right? Please review!!!

twilight-crescent-moon


	5. Arrangement of Rooms

Since I have so much free time, I've decided to try to write more

Since I have so much free time, I've decided to try to write more. Key word = try. Here goes!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. It pains me to say this all the time…

Special thanks to:

Miss Mary Sue, SaphireGloom, sweets, xXxKohanaBlossomxXx, pinky101, Bucket Enabled-sama, sasusakufan2357, asianangelgirl, angelmomo211, and xx-tenshi-xx for reviewing.

**Last time on OLCB: **

"_Sakura! I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart for causing you so much sorry because of my carelessness that night! I'm begging for your forgiveness!" Itachi exclaimed while on his knees. _

_Sakura stared at the handsome, grown man before her on his knees asking for her forgiveness. She couldn't help it (who could?) and burst out laughing. Soon Itachi joined her until they were both on the couch laughing until their stomachs hurt. _

_About fifteen minutes later, the two finally calmed down. Itachi turned over to Sakura and said, "I have to go now, Sakura-chan, but if you ever need help with anything at all, feel free to come ask your new onii-chan." (A/N: such an "awwww" moment lol)_

"_Okay, bye!" Sakura smiled and waved as Itachi left the mansion._

"_Sakura-chan?" Mikoto's head popped out from behind a door that Sakura guessed led to the kitchen. "I just bought some cookies from the bakery! Want some?"_

_Upon hearing the word "cookies" Sakura practically ran towards the older woman who gave her a large cookie in return. _

_Sasuke watched Sakura delightedly eating her cookie from his viewpoint at the top the spiraling staircase._

'Don't you wish you can make her laugh and be happy like that instead of always getting her mad?

"_Yea…" Sasuke absently replied. "Wait, what the…! Stop talking to me!"_

'Sorry, no can do. You're stuck with me forever and ever and ever and ever!

"_Argh…."_

* * *

Mikoto smiled as Sakura finished the last few bites of her cookie. "Sakura-chan, would you like a tour of the house?"

Sakura nodded excitedly, her mouth still full with cookie. '_I wonder how big this mansion really is?'_

_20 minutes later…_

"…the nearest bathroom's across the hallway, and over here," Mikoto stood in front a sturdy oak door. "is your room."

Sakura gasped as the door opened to reveal a lavishly exquisite bedroom that was obviously specially designed to suit female needs. The spacious room contained a writing desk, a dressing table, full length mirror next to a large, walk-in closet, Jacuzzi, and most of all, a huge, pale pink canopy bed. "Whoa!! This room is soo…. wow!! Is that a balcony?!" She ran through the two glass doors and billowing silk curtains onto the roomy platform that would provide a beautiful of Konoha's sunset.

Sakura turned back to Mikoto. "Is this all for me?" she said wondrously. Mikoto smiled and nodded.

After watching Sakura staring wide-eyed at her new accommodations, Mikoto decided to leave her to explore and possibly … accidentally … meet with a certain someone in the household. "Well, Sakura-chan, I'll be going now. You go on and keep exploring. Dinner is at 7 o'clock, so be downstairs by then!"

"Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Mikoto-san!" Sakura said, bowing deeply. "I can't express how grateful I am to you and your family!"

The older woman just laughed. "It's not a problem. Just as I said, I've always wanted a daughter, and fate has brought you to us, Sakura-chan."

Mikoto fluttered her fingers as she left the door, returning Sakura's bright smile with a kind one of her own.

_And the master plan begins…_

* * *

"I wonder why my mom called me told me to go upstairs to my room…" Sasuke wondered internally as he walked up the large spiraled staircase. "She doesn't usually make me do anything around here."

'_It's 'cause you're spoiled and rich," _Sasuke's inner self answered.

"Why won't you just shut up?!" Sasuke yelled frustratedly as he walked briskly to the door to his room. It seemed ever since he had met the pink-haired girl ('_Sakura-chan,' _inner Sasuke added), that annoying voice just kept adding a constant live commentary in his head.

"Um, excuse me?"

Sasuke turned around, and was surprised to see Sakura looking at him quizzically with her huge emerald eyes and her head tilted to the side.

"O-oh—I didn't mean—w-what I meant was, uh—I was talking to…" Sasuke stopped his stuttering and his attempts to explain when he realized Sakura was desperately trying to hold in her giggles. He cleared his throat. "What did you need?"

After clearing her own throat several times, Sakura managed to control her fit of laughter and answered him. "Well, I was in my room and Mikoto-san left to let me settle down."

"So what's the problem?" Sasuke was now fully and totally composed, the same cold and indifferent Uchiha that everyone outside of the Uchiha family knew. Sakura was amazed at the huge change in personality.

"W-well, to tell you the truth, I'm kind of… lost," Sakura admitted sheepishly.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "Where did you want to go?"

"Er… I'm not really sure…" Sakura had simply assumed whoever found her would tell her where to go. She searched her memory for any clue from Mikoto as to where she was supposed to be, but the only thing she remembered was dinner would be at 7 o'clock. Peeking over Sasuke's shoulder at the tall grandfather clock nearby, she saw it was only 4. '_Three hours?!' _Inner Sakura exclaimed. '_Oyy…'_

"If you don't need anything, I'll be in my room." Sakura was snapped out of her thoughts. Sasuke opened the entrance to a room that was the masculine version of her room right next door. Wait…

"Our rooms are right next door to each other's?!"

* * *

"Kaa-san!" Sasuke stormed into the library, where his mother was currently reading a scroll. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Sasuke, you're not part of a book, so stop speaking like that," Mikoto calmly said without looking up. "And what is the meaning of what?"

"Huh?" Sakura was confused. Was this the way the Uchihas usually spoke to each other?

After a quick glance at Sakura, Sasuke lowered his voice and whispered, "Why is my room next to _hers_?" to his mother. The way he mentioned her made her sound like a disgusting insect, which seemed to trigger something inside Sakura.

"Well, _excuse me_ for not knowing," she said tensely. The Uchihas looked over at her. They didn't seem to notice her when she walked in. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, Mikoto-san. I'm sure you have a reason why you decided to put my room right next to _his._" For revenge, Sakura used the same tone of voice Sasuke had when he mentioned her.

Mikoto smiled with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Not only are your rooms right next to each other's," she said sweetly. "They're connected, too!"

Sakura and Sasuke gaped at each other in horror. A few nanoseconds later, everyone within 10 miles of Konoha could hear a simultaneous yell.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

At the Uchiha Manor, in the background were Inner Sakura and Inner Sasuke, meeting for the first time in that weird dimension of theirs, scheming with the Uchiha matriarch. (A/N: I don't really know how that's possible… but it happened)

* * *

That's a wrap! Whoo hoo I finally finished something…. It's been absolutely forever… I'M SO SORRY!! It's way too short, but I wanted to have something up since I haven't updated in months. I have spring break right now (and no homework to do yay), so I'll probably get more done! Please review! Thanks for reading!

twilight-crescent-moon


	6. Jealousy

NUUU!! According to your reviews…………. I'm a horrible author for not updating for so long and making the chapters so short x. Well, I'm glad you like the story, and I'll try my best to make this chapter and future ones much longer.

On a further note: After re-reading my story I made a slight change in their ages… so all of them (meaning Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, etc.) are 17. I just realized it would be illegal for Sasuke to drive at 15…at least at 17 he has a driver's permit (then again he has to have an adult with him, but that just ruins the flow of the story) I know it's a little late to realize that mistake now, but better late than never, right?

Thanks to **asianangelgirl, crazyfrogsasusaku, EstherAngelofDeath, tema-sama, i love hershey, SasuSaku Forever and Ever, sasusakufan2357, michelle, Miss Mary Sue, Brenna, cutebutweirdlucy18, LittleFoxDemon, and VWaterlily **for reviewing. Thanks for motivating me!

* * *

.: Our Little Cherry Blossom :.

Previously on OLCB:

_Mikoto smiled with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Not only are your rooms right next to each other's," she said sweetly. "They're connected, too!"_

_Sakura and Sasuke gaped at each other in horror. A few nanoseconds later, everyone within 10 miles of Konoha could hear a simultaneous yell. _

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" _

_At the Uchiha Manor, in the background were Inner Sakura and Inner Sasuke, meeting for the first time in that weird dimension of theirs, scheming with the Uchiha matriarch._

Fugaku Uchiha was sitting in his study, head in hands. Being the head of a large, worldwide company was already difficult enough without having to listen to his family arguing about who was going to sleep where in the many rooms of his home.

"Kaa-san, I don't see why _she _has to have a connected suite with me," Sasuke tried to reason with his mother. "Her presence is not going to help me concentrate on my studies at all, and you know how important a good education is."

"Sasuke-kun, we all know that you're the top student in your entire school," Mikoto countered. "Having Sakura-chan sleeping next door will not bother you at all. Oh! I know! I'll ask the principal to arrange it so that the both of you will have all the same classes so you can be study buddies! Mikoto-san, you're such a genius."

"But you just said that I'm the top student in my school!" Sasuke exclaimed. "I don't need a … study buddy!" _This isn't going to work_, he thought to himself. _We'll have to go a different route_. "Kaa-san, I am a teenage boy. _She _is a teenage girl. Teenagers have hormones. Don't you think this arrangement might be… dangerous?"

His mother only laughed. "Sasuke, even you're blushing! Don't be silly. I know you have a sense of honor and courtesy, I raised you that way, so it would impossible for anything to… happen." Mikoto didn't mention the hidden cameras in each of there rooms. It was obvious that their reactions were going to be indignant anyways, so it was better they did not know.

"But _she_—"

"Will you stop talking about me like I'm a bug?" Sakura said heatedly. She was getting tired of being ignored, but was careful to direct her anger only at _him_. "I'm a human being, you know!"

"Well, it's not my fault your dad died and left you to us now, is it?" Sasuke yelled without thinking. He immediately felt sorry for what he had said when he saw Sakura's tearful reaction.

"I…didn't know…" Sakura fled the small room. Mikoto started after her, but stopped when Fugaku shook his head. Sasuke was still staring at the open door. He looked back at his parents.

"I—I didn't mean to…"

'_Go after her, you idiot!' _

For once, Sasuke obeyed his inner self and ran in the direction Sakura had fled.

* * *

_I didn't know I was such a burden_, Sakura thought as she ran. She didn't know where she was going; her eyes were blinded with tears.

Somehow, she made it outside into an ordinary-looking park. Making her way toward a secluded cherry blossom grove, Sakura finally collapsed under a huge sakura tree and proceeded to cry even more. Now that her mind wasn't concentrating on getting as far from the Uchiha manor as possible, the memory of her lost parents flooded her and overcame her with sorrow. "Tou-san… kaa-san… why did you leave me?"

* * *

"What a great snack!" Naruto stretched as he walked away from Ichiraku's ramen stand after finishing five bowls of ramen. All those delectable flavors, mixing in my mouth… _growl_. "Wow, I'm hungry already! Hmm, this time we should invite Hinata-chan, ne?" Unlike Sasuke, Naruto already knew of his inner self long ago.

'_Sure, and maybe she'll feed us this time…' _

"Yea…" Naruto started daydreaming about Hinata, but stopped abruptly when he heard sniffling noises coming from a sakura tree. "Whoa! Amazing!! That tree is crying!!" To further investigate, Naruto looked behind the weeping tree. He was amazed to find a pink-haired girl as the source of the sound. '_Aww, trees don't cry…but she sure looks familiar…'_

"Hey! Aren't you that girl from the hospital that Hinata-chan was talking to?" Naruto remembered asking Hinata who she was after he was finished gulping down Ichiraku's ramen to-go. Unfortunately, he had almost immediately gotten into an "argument" with Ino and could only remember seeing pink locks of hair. "Yea, that's right! I burst into your hospital room the other day and ate ramen!"

Sakura smiled at the memory of the day she had made her first friends in Konoha. She faintly remembered Ino yelling at this loud blonde boy with strange markings on his face. "You must be Naruto Uzumaki, right?"

"Wow! How'd you know?!"

"Ino was yelling at you and called you that, so I just assumed it was your name," Sakura said, temporarily pushing her parents' memory aside.

"You have a really good memory… err … what's your name?" Naruto asked with a sheepish grin.

Sakura stood up and smiled. "I'm Sakura Haruno. It's really nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto laughed. "You don't have to call me Uzumaki-san! Naruto's fine. No one calls me Uzumaki-san unless I'm in huge trouble, and even then that name only comes up once in a while."

Sakura returned his laugh with a genuine one of her own. The sorrow from a few minutes ago had completely disappeared. Grinning, Naruto thought of a brilliant idea.

"I have a brilliant idea! In honor of our new friendship, I'll treat you to ramen at Ichiraku's! Come on, Sakura-chan!"

As she followed Naruto to the infamous ramen stand, Sakura thought she heard someone nearby. Seeing no one, she continued on her way.

'_What are you doing?!' _Inner Sasuke screamed. '_Go after her!! You always let the person you like get away!"_

Sasuke leaned his head back on the trunk of the cherry blossom tree he hid behind and closed his eyes.

xoxoxoxoxoxox 2 years ago xoxoxoxoxox

_Sasuke ran as hard as he could to the Konoha airport. Searching through the crowd, he finally found who he was looking for. "!"_

_A pretty girl with long, wavy, light-brown hair and matching colored eyes turned around. She looked surprised and slightly dismayed to see him. "Sasuke-kun! What are you doing here?"_

_Sasuke smiled. "Did you really expect me to not say good-bye when you leave for a vacation in France? We've been friends since we were little! Besides, I have something really important to tell you! I like—"_

"_-chan, our flight leaves right now." A tall, blonde teenager of the same age as Sasuke and appeared and raised an eyebrow at Sasuke. Puzzled, Sasuke looked to . She looked extremely uncomfortable._

"_Hitori-kun, this is Sasuke-kun, my childhood friend." She then addressed Sasuke warily. "Sasuke-kun, Hitori is my fiancé. And my trip to France isn't a vacation. I'm moving there permanently."_

_The newly discovered facts from his childhood crush shocked Sasuke. "He's your—__f-f-__fiancé? Y-you're moving? Permanently?"_

"_That's what she said," replied Hitori. "Now, if you'll excuse us, our flight leaves _right now

"_This isn't happening," Sasuke breathed, still in shock. looked over her shoulder at Sasuke in sadness and murmured something that could only Sasuke could hear._

"_Good-bye…"_

xoxoxox _End Flashback _xoxoxox

'—_granted there are many differences between the two situations. You don't have to let that one event dramatically change you forever, you know. We deserve to have a better life than live with the betrayal and shut ourselves away from the world.'_

"Just shut up." Sasuke ignored his inner self and made his way back home, his hands in his pockets, a mask of indifference settled upon his face like it had always been for 2 years.

* * *

"Mmmm! For some reason this ramen tastes better than when I ate it 10 minutes ago!" Naruto yelled after finishing his third bowl of ramen at his favorite ramen shop, Ichiraku. Sakura was still in the middle of her first bowl.

"You already ate here before you went to the park?" she asked.

"Yup!"

'_Whoa, this boy can _eat! Inner Sakura gaped.

"So, Sakura, why were you crying behind that tree?" Naruto inquired between gulps.

Feeling she could confide in this outspoken, ramen-crazy boy, Sakura told him everything, from the day her mother died to the argument with Sasuke 15 minutes before. Naruto turned out to be a great listener, never interrupting during her painful memories of her parents.

"—I didn't think I was such a burden on the Uchihas, you know?" she finished. She sighed. The retelling of the dreadful events in her life had drained her.

"Well, what can you expect from a teme?" Naruto leaned back into his chair, finished with his meal.

"W-what? Who's the teme?"

"Sasuke, of course." At Sakura's surprised expression, Naruto continued, "Sasuke and I go way back. It may not seem like it, because we're always fighting and insulting each other, but we're best friends!"

Sakura started. "Seriously?"

Naruto looked over at Sakura. "Next time you see him, ask about me. I bet you anything he's gonna call me a dobe."

Sakura couldn't hold in the laugh that was dying to come out of her. It was a full five minutes before she was able to rest her aching cheeks. After the pleasant silence right after a fit of laughter, Naruto offered to walk Sakura home.

"I might know the way better than you do," Naruto smiled kindly. Sakura smiled back and agreed to his offer.

After ten minutes of casual conversation, the pair finally arrived at the gates of the Uchiha Manor. Sakura turned to Naruto. "Thank you for being such a great friend and confidant, Naruto."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed grin. "No problem, Sakura-chan!" He was surprised when two slender arms circled around his waist in a tight embrace.

"Really, thank you for being there for me when I was feeling down. I'm glad to have you as a friend," she said softly.

Naruto rested an arm around her shoulders. "It's all right, Sakura. Come to me anytime you need help, 'kay?"

Stepping back from their brief hug, Sakura smiled brightly once again and nodded as Naruto waved farewell.

* * *

Sasuke was lying on his bed with his hands under his head, staring at the ceiling. He had stayed in that same position since he had returned from the park.

'_Oi!'_ Inner Sasuke suddenly yelled, snapping Sasuke out of his reverie. _'I don't know if you realize this, but… WE'RE REALLY HUNGRY!!'_

As if on cue, a loud growling noise was heard from Sasuke's stomach. "Whoa…" he said resting his hand on his abdomen. "I _am _hungry…"

'_That's what I just said!'_ Inner Sasuke was getting more and more irritable from hunger. '_Get us food already!'_

"Sure… I think Cook just bought some tomatoes today."

'_Don't be stupid. Cook buys tomatoes everyday especially for you.'_

"Do you want me to go or not?"

'_Fine! I'll be quiet! Just get us some food!!'_

Sasuke was at the top of the stairs and froze when he noticed through the huge glass window above his front door an embracing couple at the front gate. Is that … Sakura… and Naruto?

An overwhelming, bitter feeling that Sasuke had never experienced before suddenly took him over, replacing the mild annoyance he felt whenever he thought about his best friend. Just before he reached the bottom of the staircase, Sakura entered the unlocked front door. They shared a few seconds of eye contact before Sasuke broke away and continued on his way to the kitchen.

"S-sasuke-san?" Sakura's voice was very soft.

Sasuke stopped, but did not turn around.

"I wanted to apologize for running off without a word of where I was going, and—"

"Don't make me laugh. You seemed to have lots of fun with your _boyfriend._"

"What are you talking about?"

"You and the dobe are getting really close, aren't you? Or do you hug every guy you meet?" Sasuke said coldly.

"W-what? How could you say that?" Sakura burst into tears and fled once again, this time upstairs to her room.

'_I get distracted by food for only a few minutes and you go and insult her _again?! _What the hell is wrong with you?' _Inner Sasuke had apparently temporarily forgotten his hunger. Sasuke refused to say anything to his indignant counterpart to explain his actions.

beep beep beep beep beep beep

'_Why do you have such a boring ringtone, jerk?' _complained Inner Sasuke.

"Hn."

"The hell? What kind of greeting is that?"

"My greeting.."

"Okay... well anyways, I have great news!"

"Hn."

"Hinata just asked me out to ramen!"

"We're officially together!"

"What?"

"Hinata's my girlfriend now! Whoo hoo!"

"What about Sakura?"

"What about her? Oh yea, I treated her to ramen at Ichiraku's earlier. She was really sad because of you, teme! Anyways, on the way back, I met Hinata and then she confessed to me!"

"Aa."

"Yupp! I'm soo happy! Oh I'm going to meet her at Ichiraku's now. Ja, ne!"

'_Bwahahaha! Total misunderstanding! You must feel like an idiot!'_

"…crap."

* * *

Whoo hoo! Longest chapter yet! Hope you're happy with it! Remember to review!!

twilight-crescent-moon


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